YOUNGSTOWN — When John Leseganich Sr. took over as president and CEO of the local Crime Stoppers one year ago, he set out to change and expand the volunteer organization, leading to its name change to Crime Stoppers of Eastern Ohio and its coverage area growing from Mahoning County to Mahoning, Trumbull, Ashtabula and Columbiana counties.

The 40-year-old organization’s bylaws were updated, it got permission from the Mahoning County commissioners to establish a fixed office in the Oak Hill Avenue office building in Youngstown, and it began to use software called Navigation 360 P3 that enhances the organization’s ability to receive crime tips.

But in 2026, Leseganich has other expansion goals for the organization, including creating more partnerships and sponsorships with organizations and businesses so that more people will know about and support Crime Stoppers as an effective crime-stopping and crime-solving tool.

“I would like to see bumper stickers on every car going down the road where people realize that Crime Stoppers is out there, it exists, and it does good. That marketing aspect is what I want to see more focus on in 2026,” he said in a recent interview.

Leseganich spent nearly 40 years as a Mahoning County deputy sheriff and worked 32 years for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, leading to a new career in 2005 working as a consultant for OSHA and other types of litigation.

But he gave up his role with the sheriff’s office when he took on his new role with Crime Stoppers last year because a president of a Crime Stoppers organization cannot be a law enforcement officer, Leseganich said.

Crime Stoppers works closely with law enforcement, but there is a separation between Crime Stoppers and law enforcement because anonymity of tips provided by the public is a “cornerstone” of the organization, he said. Crime Stoppers is a national and international organization.

Crime Stoppers of Eastern Ohio reviews tips it receives to ensure the anonymity of each tipster before the information goes to law enforcement, Leseganich said.

Crime Stoppers of Eastern Ohio has a five-person executive board, of which Leseganich is one. It has three law enforcement coordinators, one from the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office, one from the Youngstown Police Department and one from the Hubbard Police Department. Law enforcement coordinators do not have voting power, Leseganich said.

Crime Stoppers of Eastern Ohio is “not law enforcement. We are kind of a clearinghouse. We receive tips, and we transfer them out” to law enforcement, he said. Crime Stoppers does not contact tipsters or “investigate tips,” he said.

But because it’s important to have a relationship with law enforcement, three law enforcement officers serve as coordinators, he said.

Before the organization expanded into three more counties last year, it averaged about three to five tips per month. Now it receives about three to five tips per day from Ashtabula to Columbiana County and even some out-of-state tips, Leseganich said.

He said sometimes Crime Stoppers gets tips regarding fugitives for which a crime was committed in the Youngstown area, but the person now lives in Indiana, for instance.

During the process of expanding into three additional counties, the organization has been working to establish relationships with the various law enforcement agencies in the new counties.

“Our list of law enforcement contacts is growing consistently as we get these tips in,” he said. The contact information is probably at about 75% complete so far. “And we are still reaching out to other counties to get contact personnel. We have them everywhere — Salem, Columbiana, Ashtabula. It’s important that those tips go to those specific officers” to avoid the tips being lost, he said.

Many aspects about Crime Stoppers of Eastern Ohio have not changed. The phone number is still the same 330-746-CLUE (330-746-2583).

But with the new Navigation 360 P3 submission software, individuals who receive tips enter the information into the new software or the tipster can enter the information into the Navigation 360 P3 software themselves.

“It’s working well,” Leseganich said.

The Navigation 360 P3 “allows the tipster to type in what he or she wants to give — a ton of information and still stay anonymous. That’s our cornerstone,” he said of anonymity. “We don’t ask any questions. But it allows the tipster to download videos, pictures. It’s an extremely powerful program,” he said.

One of the partnerships that is helping to elevate Crime Stoppers of Eastern Ohio into the public consciousness is a segment on the WFMJ-TV 21 noon news the first Wednesday of the month during which Leseganich talks about Crime Stoppers and highlights a cold case. Leseganich said Crime Stoppers gets a lot of tips from people who have watched the segment.

Leseganich said the expansion has added to the workload of the volunteer Crime Stoppers board members, but it is “going great.”

The focus in 2026 is to increase awareness of Crime Stoppers through greater use of marketing. Crime Stoppers receives money through funding in Ohio law that comes through the courts. That money is only used to pay rewards to tipsters.

In order to grow awareness of Crime Stoppers among the public, the group is hoping to form more partnerships among businesses. As an example, to be able to provide the public with bumper stickers or T-shirts promoting Crime Stoppers, the organization needs a partnership with a company that produces such items, he said.

It will host events to “market ourselves a little better” to increase awareness of the organization, he said.

The first one is the “Murder at the Grand” murder mystery gala fundraiser and benefit at the Grand Resort & Hotel Pavilion Room, 9519 E. Market St., Warren at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day. It features a dinner buffet. Call 440-290-6587 for tickets, which cost $85.

“That’s going to be a fun little get-together and maybe generate some money,” Leseganich said.

“We have some plans to do maybe some golf outings in the spring. We have had discussions about doing some car shows. And we are always seeking partners” to help with marketing and helping the organization grow, he said. Crime Stoppers of Eastern Ohio is also trying to get marketing money through grants.

When Leseganich was asked what motivates him to see CrimeSolvers of Eastern Ohio grow, he said it is a desire to see the reduction of crime in communities like Youngstown because he grew up there, graduated from Chaney High School and hopes the decline in crime seen last year continues.

“I was born and raised in this area. My dad was a strong labor leader. I love this area, and when I say area, I mean lake to river,” he said. “We have so much to offer. Here’s why I want it to grow: I know Crime Stoppers truly stops and solves crime. It gets the perpetrator off the street. That’s proven based on the statistics of Crime Stoppers.”

He said he was sad that when his grandchildren were attending Youngstown State University, “I had to tell them what streets not to take. And I thought how bad that is, how wrong that is. How not to stop at red lights if there is no traffic because of the area. It doesn’t have to be like that.”

He said, “Our crime in Youngstown has dropped because of the weeding out a little bit of the gangs and the action that Youngstown and Mahoning county has taken. I think Crime Stoppers could be part of that.”

He said that when tipsters provide information, they sometimes comment: “Hey, I live in this area and I’m trying to raise kids here and I don’t need this happening,” Lesegeanich said of criminal activity. “That’s powerful to come forward like that. And they feel safe in doing it” on Crime Stoppers.

He noted that people “fear calling the cops. So here is a system where they submit a tip, submit information and action can be taken on it. That is the value in Crime Stoppers for me.”